Hey guys! How's it going? Christmas is in the air and I'm feeling a little generous today and i'm doing my very best to update as soon as possible. Christmas break is coming and you know what that means? Santa is coming to town! Yey! I hope santa would give Liev Schreiber this year! Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Victor Creed or any X-men characters that would appear out of nowhere but if ever they are mine, that will be the end of the world.
Part Twelve: CONCLUSIONS
If ever someone would ask me if I was okay, I would always shrug my shoulders and would answer "I guess so". It was true anyway. Victor had been more bearable the passed few days after that incident. It was funny how I was starting to appreciate his company. Upon his arrival, the people who had been following me had gone away, almost as if they never existed in the first place. Although, his ill-manners still irked me.
"Can't you get any faster than this?"
I gritted my teeth as the same costumer complained for the hundredth time. He was getting through my nerves already. Looking at the guy's face already made me want to punch him, but the thought of putting my work on the line was preventing me to do so. What did he want anyway? It's not like he was the only costumer I was serving. There were still a lot costumers who were waiting for their orders. And I'm not the only waitress here! There was Aron, Guy and Liz. Stupid cow-faced bastard.
Nevertheless I sucked it all up and put on a smile that whispered bloody murder. Too bad I couldn't voice it out. "I'm sorry, sir, but I'm doing my best," I said, quite stiffly.
He snorted. "Is this the best you've got?"
I wanted to roll my eyes at him. This wasn't a five star restaurant. This was just a diner for Christ's sake. It wasn't a crime for waitresses or waiters to be lousy. And anyway, I wasn't that slow. In fact, I had been able to serve five tables at the same time, but this guy was slowing me down, making me a tad bit unfocused. I walked back to his table where a blond woman sat beside him. Even though he seemed like he was only in high school, the girl beside him looked more like an out-of-school sort of woman.
"Well? What are you doing standing there? Shouldn't you be getting on with your work?" the kid said. Yeah. He was only a kid. I shouldn't get too hard on him since he was just a kid. He wasn't worth the fight.
"Why yes. How silly of me," I said, forcing myself to sound nice and respectful towards the guy. Although it was tempting to stick out my tongue at him. As I turned my back on them, I heard someone snickering at my left side. I shot a nasty glance towards the direction. There was a guy who was sitting alone and was smiling at me like an idiot. My jaw dropped open when I figured out who the guy was. It was Nick! For the first time in a month, I had seen a grin on his face. If ever I was happy and surprise, I was certain that the happiness had outshone the surprise. Without thinking, I walked towards his table and beamed back at him. "Hey there," I said, cheerfully.
Nick chuckled. "Hey there. How's it going?" he asked.
I shrugged. Same questions, and again, I still had the same answers. "Same old," I lied. Well, actually, it wasn't exactly a lie. It was true anyway. Victor Creed wasn't new to me anymore. "How about you?" I asked, hoping that he would drop the subject about me.
"Great, I think," he said, the grin was still fixed on his face so that meant it was safe to pursue our conversation.
"How's the family?" I asked. A lump in my throat seemed to appear out of nowhere as the sudden remembrance of Ollie and Odel, as well as the kindhearted Mrs. Newton. I really missed them. The bookstore and the times when we wouldn't do anything but read the books inside the store. Those memories seemed so far away already that it was almost astounding to think that those memories were just months ago. For me, it felt like years.
"They're doing great. Ollie's asking me to check on you," he said, tearing his gaze from me. He looked at the cup of coffee he was drinking. "Odel told me that he had finally found a new replacement for you."
I raised an eyebrow. "Replacement?"
Nick laughed, and I didn't know why but something flipped over inside my stomach. I missed those laughs too. It just sounded so carefree and full of life. It was so completely unlike Victor's which was cold and cruel. "Let's face it, the kid has a crush on you, remember?"
"Huh? I thought the was kidding when he told me that he likes me," I said, my mind pulling the memory of Odel confessing to me that he had a crush on me. Of course I didn't take it seriously because he was several years younger than me.
Nick smirked. "Well, it's true. The boy's crazy about you," he went on, after he took a sip from his coffee. "He told me that he found a girl named Angela."
"Angela...Sounds like she's kind," I said, thoughfully.
Nick shrugged. "Too bad I wasn't around to find out," he said and in a way, I noted a bitterness in the tone he used in his voice. Was he actually regretting staying behind? As I looked at him, the thought of being afraid to talk to him seemed foolish of me. This was Nick we were talking about. He was the guy who was kind enough to help me out when money was scarce for me. He had been like my best friend in this alien place.
"Don't worry. You'll find out someday," I told him.
"Hey! Lady, what are you doing there chatting? Is that the best you can do?"
My back went rigid as I heard the bastard's voice. I gritted my teeth as I stopped myself from snapping back at him. Didn't he see that I was entertaining guest here? Nevertheless, the customer's always right. "I'll just get back to you later," I whispered to Nick. I turned around to face the high school idiot. "Sorry sir. Yes sir." This time, I didn't bother disguising the sarcasm in my voice. I didn't care anyway because the boy was just getting in my nerves already.
When I got back inside the kitchen to get the customer's orders, I heard a loud crashing sound from the outside. A look of curiosity and confusion entered our cook's face as the sound got louder and turned into angry shouts. Leaving the plates behind, I ran outside to see what was happening. The other people looked terrified as they watched two boys punching each other at the face. My eyes almost bulged out of their sockets as I realized who the guys were. Nick and the annoying high school kid were actually locked in a violent fight. Nick was on top of the bastard and the girl he was with was watching in silent fear as the scene unfolded for the people to watch.
Aron and Guy were trying to break the two boys apart but they didn't know how. Liz, on the other hand, was cowering at the opposite corner, obviously trying to call our manager who was a huge, bulky man who, in one glance, could already make one person squirm under the intensity of his gaze (although his gaze was no match to Victor's).
"Take that back!" Nick shouted as he grabbed the boy's collar and pulled him closer to his face. "I said take back what you said about Elijah."
"F-fine. I take that back! Just don't punch me again" the boy pleaded. The skin under his right eye was already swelling. It was obvious that Nick had hit him, but it was also evident that Nick had been hit too, straight in the eyes and there was a wound on the corner of his left lips.
With one last glare, Nick pushed the guy back and went back to his seat. He pulled out his wallet and paid his coffee and went out of the diner, knowing that no one would want to see him inside it ever again. I was glued on the floor after that. I couldn't believe what I just heard. Nick had caught into a fight because of me. I heard my name. The kid said something about me that made Nick so mad that it drove him to violence. That wasn't the easiest thing to do because Nick had always been known to have the longest temper ever.
"What are you looking at? Go to work!" the boy said, noticing me who was still standing transfixed on the same spot. Everyone seemed to resumed their activity as if nothing even happened. The scene was hard to erase from my head. I had never seen Nick so angry like that except for that time when he was looking at the old bookstore. But this was the him in action and not him in thought.
That night, I was in a haste to finish my shift. I didn't know why but I was hoping that I could get a word from Nick, although he must had been at home by now. When the last customer had finally gone home and it was time to close the shop and call it a day, I couldn't wait to get home where I could make myself a hot cup of coffee and have a peaceful night-although I knew that it was going to be an impossible dream because Victor would be waiting for me at my place. I sighed.
"Hey there."
I stopped dead on my tracks and tore my attention from my thoughts. Waiting there at a dark corner, Nick emerged looking quite disheveled and pale. His thick coat hang limply on his shoulder and his dark hair was slightly wet from the snow. My eyes went wide. "What are you doing here?" I asked. It was so cold outside and snow was falling. It couldn't be possible that he had been waiting outside for me. His clothes didn't suit the weather.
"I want to have a word with you," he said, his teeth were slightly chattering from the cold and there was a cloud forming every time he breathed. Taking off my scarf, I walked up to him and placed it around his neck. "There," I said. "That might help you."
Despite the cold, he smiled at me. "Thanks."
I scrutinized his face. Underneath his right eye, there was a spot of purple and the wound on the corner of his lips didn't look too good. "You okay?" I asked, pointing at the mess he had on his face. He shrugged. "Don't worry. I won't die because of these."
I shook my head. "I think you should do something about that."
He chuckled. "You sound like my mom."
"Do I?"
He grinned at me. Upon doing so, he looked away from me and turned his focus on the concrete beneath us. At the back of my mind, something was nagging me to ask him what wanted to ask. No one would wait in the dark, cold night if they didn't have a reason for doing so.
"Well?" I asked. When he gave me a questioning look, I sighed. "You definitely look like you want to ask me something."
Without answering my question first, Nick started leading the way but he was making sure that he was walking right beside me. "There's something I would like to ask you."
"Shoot," I told him, but I found myself dreading to hear his question. I had a feeling that his question was going to be a hard one. He wouldn't be waiting outside the cold within three hours if his question would be insignificant and random. He wanted some answers. I hoped I had.
"Do you remember that guy who usually comes to the bookstore? The strange, scary guy?" Nick asked, searching my face for any reactions. When I looked quite befuddled, he went on with his description. "You're boyfriend." I stopped dead on my tracks. I gave him a shocked/puzzled look that I hoped would look like I didn't know what the heck he was talking about. "Boyfriend?" I repeated, incredulously.
I could tell that even Nick seemed to be caught off guard when he saw my initial reaction. "W-well, yeah. He always comes to fetch you," he said, sounding rather unsure of himself already. He cocked his head to one side, studying my face (which made me quite self-conscious for a moment). "Isn't he your boyfriend?"
Guys. Why they always jump to conclusions? "No. He's not. He's someone I know," I told him. It was really tempting to tell him that Victor was also the sole reason why I was hating my life right now and why every night felt like a thousand years. But knowing Victor, a sane person wouldn't even believe a word I would say. In this world where everything was not what they seemed to be, no one as evil as Victor could exist. Sure, there were still some mutants hanging around (most likely, hiding) but there was something about Victor's eyes that suggested that no one could ever reach his level of evilness.
There was a look of relief in Nick's face, but I wasn't so sure. I wouldn't want to jump into conclusions. "Are you sure? He seems a little bit possessive on you," he said, accusingly. I shrugged. "He's a cousin of mine. Very protective," I lied. Right then and there, I wanted to bang my head on anything and just disappear in midair. I knew it was wrong to lie because it would usually lead to something bad. It was something I learned from Disney Original movies. I sighed. No wonder the protagonists always lie. It was hard to face the truth, but it was harder to tell others the truth.
"Cousin, huh? Figures. But how come you never introduced us to him or even mention him to us?" he asked. It was obvious that he wasn't too convinced on my amateur lie. It wasn't going to work. Victor didn't look like me at all.
"Well, because my cousin never really liked the exposure." Another lie. If ever Victor heard this gibberish I was telling Nick, he would surely die laughing. My blood began to boil as his cold, cruel laugh reverberated inside my head. At the same time, my face started to feel slightly warm.
"Oh," Nick said, looking quite content with my petty excuse. It wasn't the time to say how easy people could be fooled because right now, I was the one who was fooling him anyway so that meant I had no right or whatsoever to do complain or to point it out to him. It was my fault anyway.
I nodded my head. We were silent for a moment again.
"So, what were you saying about Victor?" I asked, curious. Of course, even though I would gladly change the subject, I also wanted to find out what Nick wanted. It had been a month since we last had an ordinary conversation like this. Let alone talk about the bookstore. I knew that up until now, Nick hadn't moved on about it. There were even some rumors flying around the campus that Nick was actually snooping around the bookstore. Even though the police had said that it must had been done by some rowdy guys who wanted to have fun, Nick wasn't convinced. He wanted to find out whoever did it and-maybe-wanted to put him to jail about it.
"Never mind. It was just a stupid idea," Nick said, avoiding to look at my eyes. I raised an eyebrow. Did I ever mention that Nick wasn't a good liar?
"What's so stupid? I'm used to it," I told him, half joking to make the him crack a smile. Unfortunately, it wasn't working. His eyebrows were mashed together, as if he was deep in thought. A look of frustration penetrated through his face. I cocked my head to one side and let him use the silence he needed.
"That guy-your cousin. I thought he was the one who wrecked the bookstore," he almost muttered. My heart froze momentarily. He returned his gaze on me and had a silly grin on his face. "But now that I know that he's your cousin, I'm sure that he wasn't the one who did it."
If only he knew...
I was afraid that if ever Nick knew, Victor might kill him. I couldn't bear thinking that it would be my fault behind his death then. I wouldn't be able to live peacefully. I found it harder to meet his eyes. Nick frowned upon this observation. "Is there something wrong?" he asked, as he tried to get a good look on my face. Darn. How could he even be so observant? I cursed his attentiveness. Without looking straight at him, I shook my head. "Nothing," I told him, although I wanted to scream at him and tell him everything about Victor and the fear that had took hold of me ever since that fateful night.
The two of us fell silent. We just kept on walking amidst the cold and it was just then that I realized that we were getting closer and closer to my apartment. I stopped. What if Victor would see me with Nick? He might think that we were hanging out (which was the truth) and he might actually seek for Nick. I shuddered at the thought. "Well, I think you should go back now. Bye!" I said, hastily as I started to walk away from him as briskly as I could.
"Wait!" Nick called out, reaching out for my wrist.
That was surprising.
"Wait," he repeated, softly this time. Sighing, I turned around to face him. I made sure that I had put a smile on my face. "Yes?" I asked.
"Uh..." He looked nervous and fidgety as I gazed expectantly. To be honest, I was getting a little impatient because I was scared that Victor might see this and who knows what that bloke might be thinking. Boys. Don't they ever get tired of jumping into conclusions so fast?
"You don't have to force it to yourself, you know," I told him, hoping that he would just drop the subject. I wasn't in the mood to do a guessing game with Nick. I wanted to get inside my apartment as fast as I could. But it wasn't because I didn't like talking to Nick. In fact, that was the entire reason why I wanted to go back. I liked talking to an old friend that I was afraid I might tell him everything about Victor and the nightmare of a life I was living right now. I knew that telling him all of that might endanger his life.
"Do you think we can have some lunches at school-or even some dinners?" Nick suddenly blurted, catching me off guard.
I didn't know what my reaction was but I could remember how I burst out laughing. I didn't mean to hurt his feelings but at first, a funny thought entered my head. When I saw how taken aback he looked like, my laughter died away. I gulped, knowing that I had made a complete fool of myself in front of him. "S-sorry about that." I tore my gaze from him. "What I meant was, s-sure. It's just that, I was quite surprise and..."
Before I could even pull out another lame excuse, Nick's face lit up with glee. "Is that a yes?"
I nodded my head. "But-"
Again, before I could even tell him a condition, he chuckled. "That's settled then. Tomorrow?"
When I open my mouth to say something, he cut me off again. "Great," he stated, eagerly. It was actually the first time I saw him to be this happy and excited. Usually, Nick was always the cool and composed guy. He seldom showed his emotions and he was always known for his being cold towards girls in the campus. I wondered if it was still Nick who was talking to me, but I tried my best to not show my surprise to him. It wouldn't be a nice topic for a conversation. Nevertheless, I smiled back at him.
"Well. Bye. See you tomorrow," he said.
The two of us fell silent. He wasn't showing any sings that he was going to leave just yet. It seemed like he wanted to say something-or do something but he didn't know how to make his move. I waited for him to leave, stopping myself to tap my foot on the process. Of course it might hurt his feeling if he knew that I was actually getting a little impatient. Maybe, if I knew that Victor wouldn't be waiting for me, I would be like this, as if I was being pushed to the edge.
Finally, the silence was getting heavier and more awkward. Nick grinned sheepishly at me. "I gotta go." I almost rolled my eyes. He had just said that for about three times already, but I stopped myself from doing so. Without warning, he leaned forward, planning to land me a kiss on the cheek. I froze momentarily, shocked. It was then that I realized that my heart was actually thundering inside my chest. I was bracing myself. For what? The kiss? No. It was not the kiss...
"Good evening."
Nick suddenly jumped back, startled at the intrusion of a deep, low voice. My heart froze. The familiar voice brought shiver down my spine. Please God, tell me it wasn't him.
"Funny I didn't know that you'll be bringing a guest tonight," Victor said, as I felt his arm snaking around my shoulders. He was smirking down on Nick whom he was still a head taller despite of Nick's tall height. "You should have told me sooner so that we should have prepared a midnight snack." There was something dark and threatening in his voice as he said those words, but he didn't bother to disguise its mock. Was it me or was I getting a hint of sarcasm in it? His hand fell on top of my chest and I was scared that he might feel my wildly beating heart. I flushed at the thought.
Nick's smile disappeared and he looked stonily at Victor. "Good evening. I'm afraid I won't be staying long anyway so no thanks."
Victor's smile widened. "That's good."
Nick raised an eyebrow. It was hard for me to look at his eyes, but I couldn't help but be curious if he was scared or not. "Well then, good night Elijah." He slightly bowed at me that made me want to roll my eyes again. He was getting a little too formal again. He turned to look at Victor. "Good night to you too."
Victor laughed. "I hope it would be."
The two men held each other's gaze. It was funny how I was the one who felt like melting instead of one of them. Both of them showed no signs of backing down. It was amazing how Nick could stand to look straight into Victor's eyes for a long time. But even though, I was still sure that it was Nick who would buckled down under Victor's gaze. "I think you should go now, Nick," I finally declared, hoping that the two men would just quit it.
"Yeah. Good night," Nick finally said. He stormed off, obviously pissed that Victor had stole his chance to woo me.
Boys...
Victor waved at him, mocking him. "Bye."
Nick shot him one last look before getting into the elevator and disappearing.
Five seconds after Nick's departure, Victor finally let go of me and broke the silence that had dawned upon us. "I think there's something you're not telling me," he muttered as he opened the door. I was surprised that the door easily opened because I was sure that I had locked it before leaving but I didn't show it.
"Like what?" I asked, sardonically.
He chuckled, evilly. It made me shiver.
"He's wearing your scarf," Victor stated flatly as if it was the answer to my question.
"Well?" I asked, getting a little more frustrated.
As soon as we entered the apartment, he closed-slammed the door behind him. And without warning, pushed me roughly on the wall, my back on it.
"What the-"
"Shh..." he said. It was dark since the lights weren't on but I knew that he was so close to me because I could feel his heart hammering against his chest. My breath was caught in short gasps.
"What are you doing?" I almost shouted, raising my fists to beat him off me, but he quickly pinned it on the wall. His body was pressed on mine and I was afraid that he might actually crushed me. Even though it was dark, I had a distinct feeling that his face was merely inches away from mine.
Man. Did he even know anything about personal space?
"What's Nick to you?" he asked.
"W-w-what?" I stuttered.
"What's Nick to you?" he repeated, surprisingly calm.
I wasn't.
"I d-don't know. A friend," I answered, finding it hard to concentrate knowing that he was so close. I could feel it. His nose almost touched mine and I could hear him breathed.
"And what am I?"
An executer! My torturer! The devil who made my life miserable. I could go on and on with what he was to me but I couldn't say it out loud, as if something invisible was holding me back. Was he really like that? Of course he was! Or was I jumping into conclusions?
"I don't know," I replied. And for once, I just told him the truth. I was confused. He gave me this feeling, a feeling I had never felt to someone-left alone a man.
"Do you trust me?" he asked, his voice seemed to melt.
In the dark, I nodded my head...
Well? REVIEW PLEASE!
P.S: I'll edit later...^^
